Maybe It's Meant To Be
by Neena24
Summary: Stella comes back to Beacon Hills upon just one phone call from Stiles. What happens next is something no one was prepared for. The alpha is out with a vendetta but against who and why? (not Derek/Stiles)
1. Chapter 1

**Derek's PoV**

I saw a black convertible take a sharp turn into the driveway. Whoever the driver was liked speed and thrill, that much was pretty obvious. The driver was a young girl. She was wearing a sweat pants and a loose fitting tee. Her hair was pulled into a messy ponytail. She popped the trunk and took out a luggage bag, closed the trunk, locked the car and made her way towards the door.

Derek knew those eyes and the face that they belonged to.

_What's she doing back here?_

**Stella's PoV**

I sighed as I walked to the door. I was tired from the long car ride. Reaching for the door I knocked on it, turned the handle and found the door opened. It was so like Stiles to do something like this.

"Stiles," I yelled "where are you?"

I heard heavy footsteps coming down the stairs following the "I'm coming" that Stiles shouted.

He ran into the living room and pulled me into a hug. I was kind of shocked to be honest. He finally let me go.

"What is wrong with you leaving the door open?" I asked him as I lightly punched him on the shoulder.

He sighed, walking to the door and locking it.

"Stiles, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." I could immediately tell that he was lying.

"If nothing's wrong, why call me here?"

"So now I can't even call you and ask you to come over without you having to look at me as if I'm in some kind of trouble or I need help?" He shouted. A bit surprised at his outburst, I replied,

"Yes you can, you can call me whenever you want and tell me to come over, I only asked what's wrong because you look worried, like you haven't had sleep in a few days." I saw him lick his lips at that and I quickly added,

"Oh and you're lying about calling me this time to just come over; you're in some kind of trouble or something." I heard another sigh escape his lips,

"You're right. How do you always figure out I'm not telling the truth?" His hands flew at that. I found myself smiling, "I'm not gonna tell you that or else I won't have any fun catching you lie again."

"How did you get here so fast anyway?" He asked. I replied,

"Take a look outside." He went to the living room window and peeked out and gasped at what he saw.

"Is that a …" he began.

"A Roadster, yes it is." I answered before he could even finish the question.

"Oh my god, can I please take her for a ride?"

I held out my keys in response. He gave me another quick hug and bolted out the door. I smiled as I stood watching from the door at the look of pure awe that I saw radiating from his face. He looked like a kid on Christmas morning. He pulled out of the driveway and I had just shut the door when moments later it opened again and my uncle walked in.

"Stella," he said pulling me into one of those fatherly bear hugs "what brings you here?"

"Oh nothing," I pulled out of the hug, "I missed you guys and I finally took a well-deserved break from work." Technically that is only half a lie.

"But, you're home early, how come?" I inquired. He was usually at the police station well into the night. I remember that from when I was living here for a year.

"Decided to call it an early night," was the reply.

"Well, I just got here so I'm gonna go wash up and then we'll think about dinner."

"Stel, how did you get here?" He questioned.

"I drove."

"And where's your car? I only saw Stiles' Jeep when I got here." I grinned,

"Stiles took it for a ride."

"You really shouldn't have allowed him to. Before you go, how does pizza sound? I'll order it and it should be here by the time you're out of the shower."

"Sounds good." I answered as I dragged my suitcase up the stairs.

Opening the door to the guest bedroom I was greeted by the cool wind blowing through a half open window.

**Stiles PoV**

Driving down the well-known road of Beacon Hill in Stella's car gave me a thrill. I pulled up to Scott's house and honked the horn. I saw him poke his head out of his bedroom window and his eyes open wide in surprise. Scott was running out the front door before I even had a chance to blink.

_Stupid werewolf powers, _I thought and then mentally kicked myself.

Scott was gushing on and on about how the car was such a beauty, he got into the passenger seat and questioned where Stiles got it.

"It's Stella's"

Scott looked at bit taken back, "When did she get here? Why didn't you tell me that she was coming?"

"I didn't know she was coming." I lied.

"You're lying, your heartbeat rose when you said _I didn't know_," Scott pointed out.

"Right, I keep forgetting that I can't lie to you anymore without getting caught." I huffed in reply, pulling out of the driveway.

**Derek's PoV**

I heard and saw most of the exchange between Stella and Stiles. She was still the gorgeous brunette from high school that I knew. I think she's a year or two older than me.

_Why do I care about how old she is?_

I walked down the street to my parked Camaro. The engine roared to life as I hit the accelerator.

**Stella's PoV**

I walked down the stairs to the smell of pizza in the house. Sitting around a coffee table which was hidden under the pizza box, were my uncle, Stiles and Scott.

They saw me approaching the table and Scott got up to give me a welcome hug and a quick mumbled,

"Good to see you Stel."

"Good to see you too Scott. How's school going? And lacrosse?"

"School's, you know, school." He said with a laugh. "And lacrosse is actually good to me this year. Hey Stiles, did you tell her how you're playing first line in the next game?"

Stiles looked up from the pizza box he was concentrating on.

"Uh, no, I totally forgot and then I saw her car …," came the reply.

I laughed, "Do you still have the keys? You better not lose them."

Taking them out of his pocket he asked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean Happy Belated 16th Birthday and Happy Early 17th Birthday Stiles. It's yours." I folded his fingers over the keys to further indicate that it was his.

"Stella, I don't …" my uncle began. I cut him off,

"I'm not gonna listen if you say he can't have it. It's almost his 17th birthday and I'm making up for missing his 16th." I added,

"It's not like he's gonna be getting anymore presents from me for a while. This present should last him for at least a good 10 years," I joked. Stiles saw this one second pause as an invitation to start dinner.

"Who wants pizza?" he asked opening the cardboard box that held the cheesy goodness.

**Stiles' PoV**

The rest of dinner passed quickly. Between eating and catching up with each other's lives, Stiles sat more quietly than usual.

_I can't believe that she gave me her car just because she missed my 16th birthday. I mean yeah I was mad at her at the time but I do understand she can't be here for me all the time, whenever I need her. She did call on my birthday, not like she forgot. Oh my god, her 23rd birthday is coming up. I haven't even thought about what to get her. I need to plan a party for her, if she's still here when her birthday comes. I highly doubt she's gonna stay more than a week, at the most._

"… to Stiles." I heard as I lost my thoughts and blinked to see three faces staring at me.

I heard Stella ask, "Are you alright?"

Pause.

"You're quiet, too quiet if you ask me. Are you sick or coming down with something?" She asked while feeling my forehead.

"I-I'm fine. Just tired, had a long week at school." I'm pretty sure Scott figured out I wasn't telling the truth but he didn't say anything. She took the sign and changed the subject.

"When's that lacrosse game, Scott?"

"It's tomorrow."

"That's great, I made it here just in time to see Stiles play then. I'm gonna need the keys to your Jeep Stiles if I wanna make it there on time and I'm gonna need a car while I'm here."


	2. Chapter 2

**Stella's POV**

I woke up the next morning to the smell of bacon and eggs. I quickly tied my hair into a ponytail and ran down the stairs. Stiles was already up and sitting at the table.

"Mmm, that smells delicious," I said walking into the kitchen. Stiles replied sarcastically,

"Good morning to you too."

"Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed today," I threw back jokingly.

"Oh, let's not start an argument this early in the morning," my uncle said.

I nodded my head in agreement as I watched Stiles do the same.

My head was inside the refrigerator, looking for something to drink other than milk or orange juice. No such luck. I accepted defeat and poured out some orange juice into a glass. I was quietly drinking it, waiting on the eggs and bacon, when my uncle called me out.

"Stella, how long is your vacation?"

I choked on the juice I was drinking. It took a few moments for me to calm down and regain my composure. I replied as if nothing had happened a few moments ago,

"As long as I want it to be, why?"

"Stella," his voice was obviously concerned, "no company gives their employees a vacation for as long as they want it to be. Is there anything you want to tell me?"

This is not going to be a good day for me, I silently thought to myself before answering,

"Uh, I quit my job." My voice had dropped to almost a whisper but it was evident that both my uncle and Stiles heard me.

"You what - ?" They both asked at the same time.

"I quit my job." I said it a little louder. I quickly added,

"Could we please not do this this early in the morning? I'll explain everything to you after, I promise." I pleaded knowing he didn't want an argument and neither did I, to be honest.

Breakfast was rather quiet.

"Stiles, what time is your game tonight?" I asked him, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"7 o'clock."

_One word answers, great. Why is he mad at me? He's so not himself. I can totally see through him and that he's stressing about something, if he would just tell me._

"You need to give me the keys to your Jeep still or I won't be able to make it to the game." I reminded him.

I was cleaning up in the kitchen when my uncle announced that he would be down at the station for the remainder of the day. He said he would be there for Stiles' first game.

I walked up the stairs to my 'room' and passing Stiles' room, I peaked in. I heard water running which indicated that he was in the shower. I noticed a million and one books on his desk.

_That's odd. I don't ever remember Stiles having so much interest in reading._

I walked over to the desk to get a peek at some of the titles. They were all werewolf myths. I opened one and it was filled with sticky notes.

_False … only happens to the ones born as werewolf … Argent? … Packs … alphas …_

Stiles had clearly done a lot of research on the subject, but why?

I was just closing the book when the bathroom door opened and Stiles stepped out.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I was waiting for you; I need your car keys before any of us forget. I wanted to go out anyway." I replied.

"You know it's not safe to go out alone." He said making his way towards his desk.

"What do you mean?"

"Stel, there have been attacks all over town. They even found a dead body in the woods."

"Are you trying to scare me? It's not working"

"No, I'm being totally serious. But if you don't believe me, fine. Where are you going? I'm coming with you." He said handing me the keys.

"Grocery shopping. I need some Nutella, fruits so I can make smoothies … do you seriously want to come with me? It's only going to take me 30 minutes max to go there, get everything and come back."

"Yes, Stel, I'm going with you still."

"OK then wait downstairs. I'll be there in 5."

**Stiles POV**

She was downstairs in a few minutes and we walked out to the Jeep. I saw my new car beside the Jeep and I still couldn't believe that Stella gave me a _freakin' _Roadster for my birthday.

The ride to the store was quiet. Stella didn't say a word on the way. Not one.

_Is she mad at me? What did I do? I haven't even told her anything. Maybe that's why. She expects to be filled in on why I called her here. I probably shouldn't have called her here. What am I supposed to do now? If Derek finds out my intentions, he's not going to hesitate to 'rip my throat out with his teeth.' What am I gonna …_

I felt a nudge, and my knee stopped bouncing,

"Stiles, we're here." Stella was looking at me odd.

"Uh, yeah. Sorry."

I quickly got out of the Jeep and followed Stel to the store. She knew exactly where she was going which was weird because I don't ever remember her coming to do the grocery before.

Stella pulled into the driveway and we started to take the bags into the house.

"I thought you only wanted fruits and Nutella." I teased.

She threw me a dirty look but didn't say anything.

She was putting away the groceries, still mad at me, so I decided to go to my room and do some more reading on werewolves.

It was 12 o'clock before I even knew it.

Lunch was uneventful. Stella made ham and cheese sandwiches which we both ate in silence. I helped clean up the kitchen and then climbed back to my room. As it got closer and closer to my first ever lacrosse game, I felt more and more distressed. I was nervous, so nervous my right knee wouldn't stop from bouncing up and down. I wasn't taking in a word of any more reading I did. By 3 o'clock I had given up on doing anything and lay in my bed.

I must have drifted to sleep because the shrill ringing of my phone woke me up. I checked the time and it said 4:28.

_Oh crap!_

I sat up in my bed and fumbled around for my phone. When I finally found it, it said "5 Missed Calls". I was checking the missed calls, all from Scott, when Stella walked into my room, obviously on the phone with Scott. She held out her phone for me, so I could talk to him.

"Where the hell are you, Stiles?" Scott yelled into the phone.

"At home, I fell asleep. Sorry. I'm on my way. Be there in 5." I said into the phone as I gathered my lacrosse equipment. I ended the call before Scott had the chance to yell at me again. I gave Stella her phone back, mumbled a goodbye and started down the stairs. I heard her yell good luck as I shut the front door behind me.

I pulled into a parking space in the lot at school. Scott and I were getting our bags from the car when Jackson pulled up beside us in his Porsche.

"Where'd you get that from?" He asked about my car obviously surprised.

"It's a birthday gift." I replied, then ignored him as I started to make my way towards the locker room.

I had changed and was out on the field in 5 minutes flat. The coach for once didn't yell at me as everyone was still in the locker room. I had taken my usual seat on the bench, waiting for the other players to get out when I heard Mr. Finstock's whistle.

"Get your ass off that bench, Bilinski!" He yelled at me as the others came out of the locker room.


	3. Chapter 3

**Stiles POV**

The referee blew the whistle and the game began. The first few moments I was lost entirely, I had no clue where the ball was, or who had it. But the ball somehow made it into my stick and I ran to the opposing teams net. I took my best shot and I scored. I heard the crowd in the distance roar to life before I got tackled to the ground by my teammates.

"Bilinski, come here!" I heard the coach yelling for me.

I was out of breath by the time I reached him. Coach gripped my shoulder with his left hand and said,

"If you keep playing like that Bilinski, we can actually win this thing. I can't believe I never let you on the field before. Have you ever played lacrosse before?"

"Only in my backyard." I replied too stunned from hearing Coach's words.

The referee blew his whistle to indicate the starting of the next round. I headed back to my position a lot more confident about playing.

**Stella's POV**

Stiles was amazing at lacrosse. As long as I knew, he had never before played lacrosse other than in the backyard but he scored the first goal.

The rest of the game was pretty fast paced. The entire crowd was quiet with anticipation. I could hear my heart beating. Both teams were tied. The next shot would be the winning shot. Suddenly Scott had the ball and was running and dodging players, heading towards the opponents net; he swung his shaft away from his body and with great force. The ball entered the net and everyone went wild. The timer hit its last second and it was clear that Beacon Hills High won the game.

As Scott turned his head from the net to behind him, I saw what looked like a yellow glimmer. It was as if his eyes flashed yellow for the moment. He was mobbed by his team before I had the chance to look again.

I found Scott and Stiles after looking around for what felt like hours. Stiles had a red tint to his cheeks from the cool October wind. Scott looked perfectly fine. _Weird._ He did not seem one bit tired or out of breath from all the running.

After the "congratulations!" and "good game" shout outs, the boys went into the locker rooms to change. I told them I would wait by their car.

The parking lot was filled with cars but Stiles' Jeep was easy to locate. As I got closer to the Jeep, something looked very wrong. The windshield on the Roadster beside it was broken in, the driver's side window was smashed in and when I finally made it to the car, the driver's seat looked shredded. The rest of the car looked perfectly fine.

**Stiles' POV**

I was slipping into my jeans when I got a text message.

_Come out to your car right now! –Stella_

Scott and I ran outside as fast as we could. I was just a few seconds behind him. The sight in front of me made me gasp.

My birthday gift was ripped into shreds, broken into little pieces. Who could have done something like this? It wasn't until I saw the driver's seat that had the spirally shred to it, did I guess who it was. _The Alpha. _

I could tell the gears in Scott's head had come to a similar result.

"Oh my God. Stella, are you OK?" I asked obviously concerned.

"Mmhm." She shook her head up and down obviously too distressed to say anything else.

I could see my father trying to get a closer look at the damages under the dull yellow light of the parking lot lights. He then took his cellphone out and dialled and waited. He called an officer over to help and write out a report and then proceeded to call the tow truck.

"Dude," Scott whispered to me, "that definitely looks like the alpha did that. But why is he after you?" He asked puzzled.

"What do you mean after me?" I asked bewildered.

He pointed to the driver's seat to point out to me what he meant. _Only the driver's seat was shredded, the passenger seat was perfectly fine. This doesn't make sense. What does he want with me? I'm of no use to him, I make a good sidekick but that's it. Oh my God. Why is he after me?_

The thoughts started running through my head. I saw my dad come over and put his hand on my shoulder.

"We'll find the person that did this." He said.

**Stella's POV**

By the time we got home, it was almost midnight. We dropped Scott off first and then proceeded home. Stiles was quiet the entire ride.

"We can get it fixed. Make it brand-new again." I assured him but still no response.

We reached home and went inside. We parted ways when Stiles got to his bedroom door.

"Goodnight Stiles."

"'Night Stel." He finally replied before shutting his door.

The next morning came by too fast. I was sitting at the study desk that my uncle had placed here for me six years ago. I had just gotten off the phone with the nearest Audi dealer to get the car fixed, when I saw a shadow from the corner of my eyes. Stiles' stood in the open doorway as if waiting for permission to enter.

"Why are you just standing there?" I asked somewhat puzzled.

"We need to talk Stel," was all he said before walking in to the room.

I turned fully around to look at him and saw that he wasn't alone. Scott stood behind him and a mystery man was standing beside him. He was dressed entirely in black, from his jet black hair to his shoes.

"What is it Stiles?"

"There's something you need to know." He paused as if contemplating on whether he should continue or not. He decided to go on.

**Stiles' POV**

I told her everything, starting right from the beginning. I told her about the night before the first day of school, how dad sent me home thinking I came alone to look for the dead body, how Scott got bit by a wolf, how the dead body turned out to be Derek's sister, Laura … I told her everything. Scott only opened his mouth to add something that I would forget and Derek was quiet during the entire process. Stella gaped at me open mouthed as I continued telling her the events that took place in the last month or so. She looked like she was half believing me and half thinking it was all a joke.

I started to tense as I got to the most current situation.

"And now …" I paused unsure of how to continue.

"Stiles, what is it? Is he after you now?" She asked. I didn't want to tell her but I didn't have a choice.

"No, Stel, he's after you. We need to get you out of here." There. I said it. I broke the bad news to her. It was decided between Derek, Scott and I that I would be the one tell her.

She tilted her head as if she were thinking, piecing the newly found information together. When she finally spoke, she stunned, from what I could see, all three of us.

"OK, so a lot of things make sense now."

"Make sense how?" I heard Scott asking.

"Like why you can run so fast and without needing your inhaler every second, why your eyes flashed a yellow when you turned and your face was hit with light last night on the field."

Scott looked dumbfounded. I think he forgot how sharp Stella was with her observations.

"But, why would he be after me? This alpha? And how do you know he's after me?" She asked obviously confused.

"We don't know, but we need to keep you safe and away from him." Derek answered the first two questions, Scott answered the next one.

"Your smell was all over the car but particularly on the driver's seat. If you noticed, the seat wasn't just shredded; it had a spiral shape torn into it. The spiral means a vendetta, he wants revenge. We're not sure why though."

"And who are you?" She asked obviously referring to Derek.

I was so lost in thought about how she was going to take this that I had forgotten to introduce him.

"Derek Hale, he's been helping with Scott's 'problem'." I said. I got a glare from Scott and I felt my shoulders move into a shrug as I mouthed 'What?'

"Scott's 'problem'?" Stella used her fingers to quote and emphasis the word problem. "Is that what you call it? Are you kidding me? You can do things no human can do and you call it a _problem?_" She asked stupefied.

"Look that's not the problem at hand. We need to figure out a way for you to stay out of the alpha's path so he doesn't kill you." I intervened before things got out of hand.

"Maybe you can stay with Derek or he can stay with you." Scott suggested. I glared at him and so did Derek. Stella sat in her chair amused by the suggestion.

"What? The two of us are going to be at school most of the day so there is no way for us to be here all the time and Derek doesn't have anything else to do." Scott pointed out. It only earned him another glare from Derek.

"There is one place," Derek paused as he said this. "But it would mean that you would have to stay with me." He looked inquiringly at Stella. Stella sighed but replied,

"I don't have much of a choice or say in this. Where are we going?" She got up from her chair.

"Pack your bag and meet me downstairs in 10." With that Derek walked out of the room and downstairs.

"How am I supposed to explain this to your dad?" Stella asked as she threw her clothes back into her bag.

"Don't worry about that, we'll take care of it. Just go before he changes his mind."

As she gathered her last belongings to take with her, Scott whispered,

"Well, that went better than we thought it would."


	4. Chapter 4

_2 days later_

**Stella's POV**

I had grown bored of sitting in this apartment for two days. I just had to get out for a breather. I made my way towards the balcony door and my hand hadn't even touched the handle before a voice stopped me.

"Where do you think you're going?" it said.

I turned around to face the source of the voice. Derek. He was standing at the entrance of the room; arms crossed and his green eyes boring right into mine.

"Are you trying to scare me?" I asked. "It's not really working." I let my hand touch the handle to the door but before I could open it, Derek was at my side. I sighed before facing him.

"Look," I began, "all I want is some fresh air. Is that too much to ask?"

"Considering the circumstances," he paused for a moment, "yes."

"Unbelievable," I muttered under my breath. Derek continued to stare at me and so I walked over to the couch and let my body fall on it. He looked at me for another few seconds before walking past me.

I waited until I heard the door to a room close down the hallway. Then, I quickly walked over to the window and opened one of those, and just stood there. The October air was chillier and winter seemed like it was just around the corner.

**Derek's POV**

I heard her open the window in the living room but I didn't bother to stop her this time. She's stubborn. More so than any person I had ever met before. I was used to getting my way but she was something else. Her life was in danger and it was as if she could care less. I just couldn't understand her. And worse of all, she's not at all intimidated by me like Stiles is. It's easy to keep him under some control; of course, he still messes things up sometimes but Stella's proving to be a handful.

I opened the window in my room before walking into the shower. Thoughts clouded my every move: especially of her. The last two nights whenever I close my eyes, I see her long, flowing brown hair, her chocolate brown eyes, she's laughing about something and then suddenly her face changes and her eyes turn red. And that dream has ended the same both nights, me waking up drenched in sweat. I just don't know what it means and I wish I did. Seeing her in my dreams is scary but then she morphs into an Alpha and that is terrifying.

Her scent is something else too. Really sweet and fragrant, like honey, but almost suffocating. Even though I was standing in the shower with the water running, I could smell it. She was right about the fresh air in a sense, it was necessary bring some in but the fact that her scent could easily leave these four walls and be tracked by the Alpha was what scared me.

Two days had gone by since I'd brought her here and nothing had happened – yet. If the Alpha really was after her, he would've done something by now.

_What was he waiting for?_

**Stiles' POV**

"Stiles, please tell me where she went," my father pleaded with me.

"I – I don't know dad," I said for the tenth time since he'd asked. He closed his eyes for a moment as if to calm down but when he opened his eyes again, I could tell that had done little to help.

"Did you try calling her?" I asked already knowing the answer.

"Yes," he answered sitting down on the couch. "I lost count of how many times I called her. It goes right to voicemail. I don't know what to do."

"Maybe she just needs a little time away. I'm sure you'll be the first person she'll call," I offered, hoping he'd take it.

"She's just like her mother," my father said and I saw the slightest hint of a smile on his face at whatever memory he had remembered. He saw me looking at him and he became serious again.

"If I don't hear from her in 24 hours though, I'm putting her up as a Missing Person and I won't rest until I find her." With that, he got up and went upstairs.

It wasn't necessarily a threat; just a warning to let Stella know what would happen if indeed I know where she is and am keeping it a secret from my father. _Which I am._

I drove over to Scott's in the next five minutes and ran up the stairs to his room. I burst the door to his room open and found him sitting at his desk.

"What do you want Stiles?" he asked, bored. He had obviously heard me coming up the stairs. "I'm trying to study."

"Your phone, I need to call Derek." Scott picked up his phone from on the desk but paused a moment later. I tried to regain my breath in the meantime. "Wait a minute," he finally said, "why do you want to call Derek?"

"My dad just said that if he doesn't hear from Stella in the next 24 hours, he's going to declare her a Missing Person." I snatched the phone out of his hand before he could even react to that.

**Derek's POV**

"What do you want Scott?" I said annoyed into the phone.

"Why isn't Stella picking up her phone?" Stiles' voice rang out from the other side – urgent in manner.

"I took it from her that's why," I said before hanging up the phone. It rang again a couple minutes later.

"What do you want?!"

"It's Scott, don't hang up," the voice at the other end said. He spoke again before I could say anything. "Look, the Sheriff said that he's going to declare Stella a Missing Person if he doesn't hear from her in 24 hours. We can't let that happen, so give Stella her phone back so she can talk to her uncle and everything should be fine."

"Fine," I said into the phone before hanging up.

I slipped the phone inside my pocket and made my way towards my car but a familiar voice and a gun-shot sound stopped me. Instead of getting in my car, I ran in the direction of the two sounds.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **First off, I want to apologize for the massive delay in the update. I haven't forgotten about this story. School was killing me and I have two weeks off before I have to go back for the Fall semester. My timetable is pretty slack though so I should have more time to write :)  
>Second, I want to thank all you lovely people that are following this story.<br>Third, can I just say how fucking sad it is that Season 2 is already over? I feel like my life is over too. *ugly sobbing in the corner* All the Sterek moments were to die for though 3  
>Fourth, I dunno about you but while I was writing this chapter I was pretty confused about when this story actually takes place. Might be because I haven't thought about this in so long. I think I figured it out though and the last little paragraph is a pretty dead giveaway about when it takes place.<p>

I'm hoping to update soon but don't hold me on that promise. I'm sure the next update will be real soon considering I need to make up for the lack of updates in the last 9 months. Yeah, it's been that long :/

Feedback will make sure I sit my butt down and write the next chapter so I can get that to you soon ;)

xo,  
>Neena.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

**Stella's POV**

I cautiously stepped outside the apartment and knocked on the neighbours' door, and kept my fingers crossed that someone would be home. I'd ransacked the entire apartment and had no luck whatsoever locating my phone. Two hours into the search, I remembered having downloaded an app on my phone in case it ever got lost – I guess it was time to use it now. The thing was – I needed an internet connection, which Derek didn't have.

A full minute had passed and the door still didn't open. I started to grow restless standing in the dimly lit hallway and knocked again, louder this time. The door opened a few moments later and revealed a fairly young man standing on the inside.

"Yes?" He looked confused to see me standing outside his door it seemed, and I don't blame him. Given my appearance, I would be skeptical about the 'me' standing outside the door too.

"Hi," I began, quite nervously I may add, "I was wondering if I could possibly borrow a computer. I need to locate my phone and I don't have internet and I'm sure my uncle's preparing to notify surrounding police services that he hasn't heard from me in two days now." When he didn't say anything, I added, "please?"

A few moments later, I was sat at a laptop, typing in my attention word into the site to activate the white siren ring that it was set to. As soon as I pressed enter, I could hear the shrill ringing of the siren through the wall.

I ran out of the apartment and into Derek's.

As I wandered closer into the hall, the siren was getting louder. It seemed to be coming from the bathroom – odd. _Why would he hide it in there?_

Well, the bathroom had been the one place I hadn't bothered to look, so I guess Derek's plan had worked.

I found it stashed inside a jar of cotton balls. Quickly fishing it out of there, I noticed that there was a figure standing in the bathroom doorway. I turned my head and saw the neighbour looking at me weird. I couldn't blame him. A jar of cotton balls was a strange place to lose a phone …

"Right then," I said, shifting his attention from the phone in my hand to my face. "Thank you for all your help …"

"Mark," he said.

"Mark," I repeated. "Thank you _so_ much. You're an absolute life saver."

I hugged him in my excitement and even placed a kiss on his cheek. We walked out to the living room and after answering questions about who I was and why I was in Laura's apartment I managed to get rid of him.

Heading into the kitchen, I dialled my uncle. I had over 50 missed calls from him, about half a dozen from Stiles and even a few from Scott.

"Stella?" he answered on the first ring.

"I'm fine," I began only to be cut off.

"Oh thank God," my uncle exclaimed. "It's her," I heard him say. He obviously wasn't telling me that. "Where are you and why haven't you been answering your phone?" he asked.

"Erm …" I tried to think of something to say. God, at least I could've been smart enough to pre-think answers to all the questions that he could've possibly asked me. What was I supposed to tell him?

"I lost my phone," I said, quite abruptly might I add. "I just got another one and I know you would be worried so I called you the first chance I got."

There was silence from the other end. I thought maybe the call had disconnected until he spoke again a moment later.

"Alright," he said. I could tell he didn't really believe me. "Why didn't you tell me before you left? I've been really worried Stella."

"I'm sorry," I said. "I know I was wrong to just leave like this and then not call you for two days. I'm really really sorry."

"It's fine Stella," he said sighing. "Just don't do anything like this again. Do you have any idea of the possible things that I thought could've happened to you? There's an animal loose in town and I thought you could be dead. I just – don't ever do this again."

I nodded before realizing that I'm on the phone and that he can't see me.

"Never again I promise," I told him.

"Where are you right now? Are you okay?" he asked next.

"In the city," I answered. "I'm staying at a friend's and I'm looking for work and I promise I'll come back soon. Don't worry about me."

Wow. I really surprised myself at how fast I had come up with the lie. Not to mention how believable it really was.

"You never did tell me what happened to your old job," he said.

I sighed. I could picture him rubbing at his temple. If his job and Stiles weren't enough to worry about, now he had me to worry about too.

Why had I bothered to come to Beacon Hills? I was nothing but a burden on my uncle and he had enough to worry about with this "animal" on the loose. Had it not been for Stiles, I would've pigged out on ice cream and watched TV all day at home. But I love Stiles, and love makes you do stupid things and here I was – the result of one bloody phone call.

About my job … I'd honestly just hated the place where I was working. The job itself was fine but the people I was working with were complete asses. My boss was the biggest of the assholes and I didn't even have the words to describe how much I hated him.

"I promise I'll tell you everything when I get back," I finally answered.

"How long will that be?" he immediately asked.

"I'm not sure," I answered with uncertainty. It all depended on how fast Derek could track this 'Alpha' and 'save me'. Why was this thing after me again? I've barely even lived in Beacon Hills.

"Stella," he said. He sounded concerned.

"Yeah?"

"Take care of yourself."

"I will."

"And call me every day. I need to know you're fine."

"Will do," I assured him.

"So that means I'll talk to you tomorrow?"

"Yes sir," I said.

We finally hung up after saying our goodbyes.

I opened the fridge to look and hopefully find something to eat. But of course, nothing was magically going to appear; I'd only checked the fridge about 30 minutes ago. Same with the cupboards: nothing there.

I tried calling Derek, but he wasn't picking up. So I called the next best person, Stiles.

"I see Derek finally let you have you phone back," Stiles said before I could even say anything.

"I haven't heard from Derek in hours," I said. "What are you talking about?"

"It doesn't matter," Stiles said. "Where are you?"

"I honestly have no idea but at the moment, I'm in an apartment, which the neighbour told me belongs to Laura," I answered.

I honestly really didn't have any clue as to where I really was. I was in a city, but which one? The car ride had been so boring with Derek and not having had much sleep the night before; I'd fallen asleep and hadn't woken up until Derek had mumbled we had arrived.

"Well damn," Stiles said. "I thought maybe I could come by and keep you company or something sometime …"

"And you know damn well that, that is not a good idea," I said. "Where is Derek by the way? He's still not here, there's nothing in the place to eat and I'm starving."

"I dunno," Stiles said. "I haven't seen Derek at all today."

Hmm, that's weird. He'd told me he'd be going to Beacon Hills.

"Would he be with Scott?"

"No chance," Stiles replied. "Scott's with Allison."

"Well alright," I said, not knowing what to say. I was confused as to why Scott was still dating the Hunter's daughter. I mean, he's in constant danger if he's around her. What if he accidentally changed or something? Stiles had mentioned that Scott couldn't really control himself sometimes. He's really threading dangerous grounds by being with her.

"I'll talk to you later then," I said. "And if you hear from Derek let me know."

"Will do," Stiles said, "take care, Stel."

"You too, Stiles."

I hung up and made my way back to the living room. A little TV would have to do to kill time until Derek got back then.

**[…]**

I woke up unexpectedly in the middle of the night. I took in my surroundings before realizing that the TV was still on and I had fallen asleep on the sofa.

I grabbed my phone from the coffee table and made my way to the kitchen.

Pouring myself a glass of water and after gulping it down, I noticed that it was almost 2:30 in the morning. There was no message from Stiles telling me he'd heard from Derek.

I peeked into his room on the way to mine, to find the bed empty. _Odd._ Brooding werewolf was having a night out while I was starving.

Not wanting to listen to my growling stomach, I slipped under the cover of my temporary bed in the guest room.

Derek had better have found the Alpha if he was going to make me starve. Or he better be ready for me to kick his werewolf ass in the morning.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Hai there. Long time no see then. I'm sorry, I really am. I update and then go missing for a long time. And it's going to happen again. I'm sorry.

I'm trying to do things differently with this story now. Instead of skipping around to Derek and Stiles POVs, I'll be sticking mostly to Stella POVs. Unless of course you don't want me to change that, do let me know. I don't mean that you will never see Derek or Stiles POVs again, they will come back every now and then but I just don't think it's a good idea for me to be doing too many POVs at the same time or at least in the same chapter. So if you noticed, this chapter is Stella only.

_What do you think about Stella btw? Her reaction to everything? To her current situation? Any ideas as to what her story could be?_

Answer and guess away in the reviews. Reviews would really cheer me up right now, so please don't hesitate to leave your thoughts :)

xo,  
>Neena :)<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

**Stella's POV**

After waiting endlessly for Derek to get back, I finally caved to my hunger and asked Mark, the (somewhat nosy) neighbour, to run down to the nearest shop and get me some supplies. He was kind enough to do so. I had had breakfast, taken a shower, watched TV to kill time, had lunch, talked to my uncle, and watched some more TV before I had any news on Derek's whereabouts.

It came in the form of a frantic phone call from Stiles late afternoon. He talked a mile a minute but this is what I gathered from his ramblings: Derek had been shot with a wolfsbane bullet, I thought I heard him mention the name of Kate Argent but I couldn't be sure. He said something about how Derek had sent Scott over to the Argent's to retrieve a bullet from the same batch that shot him and how if Scott was too late coming back with that, Derek would make him cut off his arm. Stiles then proceeded to freak out and make gagging noises just thinking of the blood and a saw cutting through the muscle and bone; he made me want to gag as well. I thought I heard Derek grunt in pain behind Stiles and asked for him to be put on. There was a small pause and a slight scuffle before Derek's gruff voice spoke from the other end.

"What do you want?" he asked. His breathing was loud and harsh and I couldn't even imagine being hit by a bullet much less being hit by a bullet which was essentially filled with a werewolves' kryptonite.

"Look," I said, "I don't know how much this will help right now because I can tell that you're in a lot of pain but you're going to be fine. Scott's going to find that bullet and bring it back and you are going to be -"

I was interrupted with the distant sound of Derek grunting in pain and gritting through his teeth. A moment later Stiles was back on the phone.

"What did you say to him?" he asked.

"Just that he was going to be fine," I answered. "I thought it would help."

There was nervous laughter from Stiles before he said,

"Listen, you stay put. Don't leave the apartment at any cost. I'll call you as soon as all this blows over."

[...]

Derek arrived later that night. He looked as if he'd just fought in a battle.

Stiles had called just a couple hours ago to tell me that everything had worked out and Derek would be fine. Knowing Stiles though, I think he was most relieved about not having to cut off Derek's arm; that and the fact that Scott came back alive even after a run in with scary Papa Argent.

Derek stood in the doorway and from what I could see in the dim light from the living room falling onto him, wasn't much. There was a visible hole in his jacket sleeve, most likely from the bullet that had hit him. He looked more pale than usual.

"Did you leave the apartment?" he asked. He seemed angry but it was as if he was too tired to actually show his anger.

"I did," I replied. There was no point in lying; he would know.

"I thought I made myself clear that you are not to leave the apartment."

"And what? Starve to death?" I questioned him. "I'd rather die at the hands of the Alpha, at least it'd be quicker."

There was a sharp intake of breath and I noticed the curling fist at his side.

"Your death wish might actually have come true if I'd died today," he said before stalking off to his room. I heard the door shut behind him and then the sound of running water a minute later.

I stayed seated where I had been when Derek had walked in. His last words replayed in my head over and over again.

My death wish would've come true ... _my death wish._

What did he even know about that? Nothing. _Absolutely nothing._ But what did I expected him to know; nothing.

What did I expect anyone to know? Nothing.

If it weren't for Stiles, I would've gone looking for a way out a long time ago. Life is rough and it's been rough to me. More than rough actually. It tore out my entire foundation one lonely night in the form of a drunk driving accident.

What did the drunken asshole get? A slap on the wrist; a fine, a license suspension and a few minor scratches was what he got. That was it.

What did I get? The choice to come to Beacon Hills to stay with my uncle and Stiles (who are my only relatives in the country) or be forced into foster care until I turned 18. That was what I got.

What did my uncle get? The news of his only niece being orphaned and to take her in.

They say life isn't fair and we use that statement for everything that we think is not fair, but you know what's really not fair, losing my parents and growing up an orphan. That's not fair. It's not fair to anyone out there that's lost a loved one because of someone else's stupid choice.

_My death wish._

I hadn't asked to be taken and hidden to be kept safe from the Alpha; this was all Stiles. I was only doing this for him. He had lost his mother, the only female influence in his life, at a very young age. He wasn't going to lose me too. Not today, not ever.

Not if I could help it.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Alrighty. First off, apologizes! I am so incredibly sorry about the lateness of this update. I had absolutely no inspiration to write this chapter. But I sat my butt down and _finally _wrote it. *yay*  
>Second, I'm sorry for the shortness of the chapter. I thought about writing more but I don't think there was any point to adding more words to this particular chapter. I kinda like where I've ended it. You get to see what Stella's story is and I don't want to reveal too much at once (aka infodump things on you).<br>And from the way I'm seeing things right now, I'm thinking that the next chapter might be in Derek's POV. Let's see what happens.  
>Anyway, Happy Canada Day to any Canadian readers (yes, I know it's pretty much over :P ) and Happy MondayTuesday to the rest of you depending on where in the world you are! Oh, and Happy early Independence Day to all American readers!  
>And please leave your thoughts, I'd love to know what you think! (:<p>

xo,  
>Neena :)<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

**Derek's POV**

I woke up feeling that something was wrong. I thought I'd heard the door closing earlier but there was no one else arou – Stella!

I checked all the rooms only conclude that Stella had indeed left the apartment. _I am going to kill her when I get my hands on her._

I quickly put on a t-shirt, careful of my wound – it had healed, a dull ache was still present when moving too quickly.

I was out of the apartment in moments, using all my senses to locate her.

She wasn't in the building. _Where could she go?_ Her bags were still in the guest room.

I had no way of knowing how long she'd been gone either. Stiles is going to be furious if he finds out. Give them the chance and humans are capable of a lot.

I have to find her before that.

[…]

_She can't have gone too far_.

I'd been driving through the streets for the past 20 minutes. There was still no sign of Stella. If she was on foot, she really couldn't have gotten too far. But the possibilities of all the directions she could've gone in made this nearly impossible. And what if she'd managed to get a car? A taxi? Anything with wheels and she could be back at Beacon Hills for all I know.

She wouldn't risk going there though would she? I would most definitely be underestimating her if I believed that she wouldn't.

A total of 30 minutes had passed now and I was reaching the edge of the city. Should I call Stiles and ask?

No, I would find her before Stiles would ever have to know. I _had_ to find her before that.

I tried calling her phone with no luck. It was going straight to voicemail. She left her bags and wasn't picking up her phone … where could she be? What bothered me the most was that I hadn't heard her leave – how could I have not heard her?

I turned another corner to go back into the city, maybe she was back at the apartment. That would be wishing and really hard but I was running out of ideas.

As I drove past a park, I thought I saw someone walking. It was just after three in the morning, who would be walking in a park right now? I put the passenger side window down to get a better look and it was then that I could smell it; the soft smell of honey … with hints of blood. It had to be Stella!

"Stella?" I called out. She continued walking as if she hadn't heard me. I could hear her heart beating faintly; she hadn't been running nor did it seem like she was scared.

Quickly parking the car and cutting the engine, I ran in the direction I had seen her go. She was still walking, quietly and slowly, as if she had nowhere to be.

I called out to her again with no response.

I ran to where she was walking, she didn't seem to notice me. The smell of blood was a lot stronger when I was near her. She didn't look hurt and if she was hurt, she wasn't showing it. Why could I smell blood then?

I stepped in front of her to stop her. Her eyes were open but it was like she didn't see me at all. She was trying to walk through me!

"Stella?" I held her there and lightly shook her.

"Stella," I said a little more loudly as I shook her a little harder - that seemed to do the trick. She snapped out of her daze and looked at me confused. Before she said anything however, she looked around her to see where she was.

"How did I get here?" she asked. You could hear the panic in her voice. She took a couple steps backwards as if not believing that she was really standing in the park in the middle of the night in her pajamas. But as she did, her face twisted in shock and she fell.

When I walked closer to her, I could see that she was holding her right leg and there was deep gash on the inside of her calf. The blood around it was still slightly wet.

She wouldn't know how she got it so there was no point in asking her that.

"Can you walk?" I asked her instead.

She looked at me, eyes full of fear.

"I can try," she whispered.

I helped her up and she tried standing with equal pressure on both feet and nearly fell down again. I caught her before she could.

It was obvious that she wouldn't be able to walk on her own so I supported her right side and we made our way to the car. I helped her into the front seat, grimacing at the thought of blood in the car but quickly dismissing it.

We were back at the apartment within five minutes and I helped her into her room and onto the bed.

"Stay put," I told her.

"As if I'd go anywhere with this leg," she snapped at me. It seemed as if her fear was replaced with anger.

I looked at her for another second before heading to the bathroom to get the first aid kit. I had never seen the need for it seeing that we healed ourselves but Laura had kept a kit. 'Just in case' she'd said when I tried arguing with her.

Stella was sitting as I had left her, except for the blanket which was now wrapped around her.

The blood around the wound was nearly dry now. Her heartbeat was slightly erratic. The wound was deep and it was unclear as to what could've caused it.

"Have you sleepwalked before?" I asked as I cleaned the wound.

"No." She didn't even flinch as the alcohol soaked wipe made contact to the wound.

She didn't say anything else and I didn't ask anything more. I peaked a glance at her as I continued cleaning the wound and then bandaged it. She seemed tired. She seemed to have been sleeping fine all these days but there were dark circles under her eyes regardless. She was chewing on the inside of her lip, looking right past me.

I had never seen her look so dishevelled, so nervous. Judging by how she'd initially taken the situation, I didn't expect this from her.

"Will you be okay?"

At first she didn't hear me but I asked again. This time she looked at me and slightly nodded.

"Try to get some rest then," I said as I got off the bed.

Looking back, I made sure that she was comfortable in bed before I turned the lights off on my way out.

I went to the living room. I wouldn't be able to sleep, not after that scare. And I had to make sure that this didn't happen again. Keeping a close ear on the Stella's heartbeat, which has slowed down significantly, I turned on the TV to keep me company.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Sorry for the insane delay. I've just been crazy busy with things. If you enjoyed the chapter, please leave a review and let me know! It may very well motivate me to sit down and finish the next chapter sooner.

xo,  
>Neena<p> 


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